Request a COPS (Ride Along Shift)

Flight For Life’s Clinical Observation Participant Shift (COPS) is available to fire, EMS, law enforcement, paramedic students, dispatch and hospital personnel in our primary service area, who have a minimum of one year of experience and meet the weight limitation.

This is also referred to as an observational ride along program.

01/23/19 IMPORTANT NOTE:

The COPS/Ride Along Program in Waukesha is on hiatus. This program is only available to McHenry Area customers until further notice.

Instructions to Request

Complete the form below to request a Clinical Observation Participant Shift (COPS) with us. After this form is received you will be contacted to schedule your shift. Be sure to read the COPS Information – General and Specific to the base you will visit as well as the FFL Confidentiality Agreement.

GENERAL Clinical Observation Participant Shift (COPS) Information

This will be an OBSERVATIONAL experience only. COPS shifts are on designated days/times from September 15 - June 15. The following is General Information which applies to all three bases. Following this document is Specific Information which applies to each base.

Requirements of Clinical Observation Participant (COP)

Currently working as an: EMT-B, EMT-I, Paramedic, First Responder, Firefighter, Law Enforcement Officer, 911 Dispatcher, or a HUC/Tech, LPN, RN, or Physician working in an ED, ICU, Cath Lab, or Pediatric Unit

Minimum of one year of recent experience

Maximum Weight of 200 lbs

You must sign a Release of Liability, a Confidentiality Agreement for patient information, and provide emergency contact names and numbers prior to boarding the aircraft. (A PDF of the Confidentiality Agreement will be attached to your confirmation e-mail - please read this document before reporting for your shift.)

Specific McHenry Base Information

Must be present for mandatory crew safety briefing and fitting of helmet. If a flight request comes in before your briefing is completed, you may not be able to go.

Clinical Observation Participant Shift Days and Times:

Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays

Days: 7 am to 3 pm

Nights: 3 pm to 11 pm (NOTE: Call our Flight Communication Center at (414) 778-3466 if you arrive and the helicopter is not in quarters.)

Must be present at the beginning of your scheduled shift and stay for a minimum of six hours

Important Information:

Please call the Flight Office at (815) 759-1620 two hours prior to the start of your shift to check our flight status, as we may not be flying due to weather or maintenance. If no answer we may be on a flight and you can contact our Communication Center at (414) 778-3466.

Our hangar is located on the south side of Centegra Hospital - McHenry in a separate building, directly across the street from the Sage Cancer Center parking lot. Our address is 4201 Medical Center Drive, McHenry, Illinois 60050

Complete Form Below

Please only click the submit button ONCE when you have completed the form.

FFL Base *

Your Organization *

If a Hospital, what department? (ED, ICU, PICU, ...)

Your Job Title *

Job Title (if not in the list above)

Your Name (first & last) *

Your Height *

Your Weight *

Your Phone Number *

Your E-mail Address *

The Latest from Flight For Life Stories

How it all began… April 11, 2012 was the day that Kirk Breneisen’s life changed forever. He was a passenger in a car that was involved in a collision when the driver made a left turn in front of another car traveling at 60 mph. The crash occurred on Rte. 14 in Barrington, Illinois during the morning rush hour. The car that Kirk was riding in was knocked into the ditch resulting in more than twelve inches of intrusion on the passenger side, pinning him inside.

The Flight For Life Transport System is provided by the Milwaukee Regional Medical Center and headquartered in Waukesha WI, with bases in Waukesha/Milwaukee WI, Fond du Lac, WI, and McHenry IL Air transportation provided by Air Methods